ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the inclusion of Korean cinema at international film festivals from 2000, focusing on South Korean auteur film directors participating in the ‘world cinema’ category, in order to determine why they became interested in overseas film festivals, and what image South Korean cinema has created for itself in Europe through the submitted films. The chapter mainly aims to identify how the interest in South Korean cinema and its image has changed over time, and which characteristics of these directors have brought Korean cinema to the attention of major world film festivals. It also focuses on the impact of the South Korean films which have received awards overseas on the domestic film industry, as well as on the reaction of audiences, both at home and abroad. This chapter analyses the Korean films which have received awards in the main sections of the three most prestigious international film festivals since 2000—the Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival.
